Economy News

from AIER

Established 1999

New England, USA

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Daily Economy

  • New York Manufacturing Activity Leveled Off in May While National Home Builder Confidence Rose

    •

    New York Manufacturing Activity Leveled Off in May While National Home Builder Confidence Rose

    New data suggest a positive outlook New York manufacturers and home builders across the country.

  • •

    Incentives in State Pension Plans: The Case of Teachers

    Earlier this week, my colleague Theodore Cangero wrote about funding gaps in state pension programs. These can have negative consequences not only for state budgets but for residents currently employed in industries with state pensions whose regulations sometimes have adverse consequences for workers or the public. One well-studied example is public school teachers. Most states…

  • •

    Retail Sales and Consumer Prices Rise in April; Consumer Sentiment Increases in Early May

    Economic data released today paint a favorable picture of the economy and support a positive outlook over the next few quarters. Retail sales rose 0.4 percent in April following a 0.1 percent increase in March and a 0.2 percent drop in February. Both February and March were revised higher from initial estimates of −0.3 percent…

  • Americans Are Leaving States with Burdensome Governments

    •

    Americans Are Leaving States with Burdensome Governments

    Internal migration has always been a part of America. The ability to move for a better job has promoted economic growth. AIER studies have shown that a better match between workers and employers helps productivity and wages. A new article from the Mises Institute shows that Americans are also moving for favorable tax environments. For…

  • Labor Market Continues to Tighten

    •

    Labor Market Continues to Tighten

    Low levels of initial claims, a high number of open positions, and rising numbers of workers quitting jobs for new ones all point to a tight labor market.

  • •

    Time Matters in Trade and Immigration Policy

    We’ve been writing a lot lately about trade and immigration policy, and getting a wide array of thought-provoking comments. It strikes me that a key source of the disconnect in our country’s debate about whether freer trade and immigration cost American jobs is time. Those who oppose loosening current restrictions focus mainly on the short…

  • Trouble Ahead: Unfunded Liabilities in State Pension Funds

    •

    Trouble Ahead: Unfunded Liabilities in State Pension Funds

    Since the Great Recession, large federal budget deficits and a record level of government debt have dominated the headlines. But municipal and state finances have also come under stress in recent years. On the municipal side, Detroit declared bankruptcy and restructured public pensions. In Dallas, the police and firefighters’ pension fund is broke. Stockton and…

  • •

    Berkshire Business and Professional Women Meeting

    On Monday, May 1, I was a featured speaker at a Berkshire Business and Professional Women meeting in Pittsfield, Mass. It was wonderful to connect with the organization, whose mission is “to promote full participation, equity, and economic self-sufficiency for America’s working women. Since 1965, the Berkshire chapter of BPW has been honoring local women…

  • •

    H1-B Visas in IT: Effects on Workers and Consumers

    One of the most controversial aspects of U.S. immigration policy is the H-1B visa program. The program currently allocates 85,000 visas to high-skill workers, especially in tech industries. Silicon Valley executives at places such as Google and Facebook promote H-1B visas as a way they can attract some of the best programmers in the world…

  • •

    Don’t Tax Bitcoin Out of Existence

    Many people find cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin appealing because they aren’t attached to any government and are thus immune to inflation associated with fiat money.

  • New York Manufacturing Activity Leveled Off in May While National Home Builder Confidence Rose

    •

    New York Manufacturing Activity Leveled Off in May While National Home Builder Confidence Rose

    New data suggest a positive outlook New York manufacturers and home builders across the country.

  • •

    Incentives in State Pension Plans: The Case of Teachers

    Earlier this week, my colleague Theodore Cangero wrote about funding gaps in state pension programs. These can have negative consequences not only for state budgets but for residents currently employed in industries with state pensions whose regulations sometimes have adverse consequences for workers or the public. One well-studied example is public school teachers. Most states…

  • •

    Retail Sales and Consumer Prices Rise in April; Consumer Sentiment Increases in Early May

    Economic data released today paint a favorable picture of the economy and support a positive outlook over the next few quarters. Retail sales rose 0.4 percent in April following a 0.1 percent increase in March and a 0.2 percent drop in February. Both February and March were revised higher from initial estimates of −0.3 percent…

  • Americans Are Leaving States with Burdensome Governments

    •

    Americans Are Leaving States with Burdensome Governments

    Internal migration has always been a part of America. The ability to move for a better job has promoted economic growth. AIER studies have shown that a better match between workers and employers helps productivity and wages. A new article from the Mises Institute shows that Americans are also moving for favorable tax environments. For…

  • Labor Market Continues to Tighten

    •

    Labor Market Continues to Tighten

    Low levels of initial claims, a high number of open positions, and rising numbers of workers quitting jobs for new ones all point to a tight labor market.

  • •

    Time Matters in Trade and Immigration Policy

    We’ve been writing a lot lately about trade and immigration policy, and getting a wide array of thought-provoking comments. It strikes me that a key source of the disconnect in our country’s debate about whether freer trade and immigration cost American jobs is time. Those who oppose loosening current restrictions focus mainly on the short…

  • Trouble Ahead: Unfunded Liabilities in State Pension Funds

    •

    Trouble Ahead: Unfunded Liabilities in State Pension Funds

    Since the Great Recession, large federal budget deficits and a record level of government debt have dominated the headlines. But municipal and state finances have also come under stress in recent years. On the municipal side, Detroit declared bankruptcy and restructured public pensions. In Dallas, the police and firefighters’ pension fund is broke. Stockton and…

  • •

    Berkshire Business and Professional Women Meeting

    On Monday, May 1, I was a featured speaker at a Berkshire Business and Professional Women meeting in Pittsfield, Mass. It was wonderful to connect with the organization, whose mission is “to promote full participation, equity, and economic self-sufficiency for America’s working women. Since 1965, the Berkshire chapter of BPW has been honoring local women…

  • •

    H1-B Visas in IT: Effects on Workers and Consumers

    One of the most controversial aspects of U.S. immigration policy is the H-1B visa program. The program currently allocates 85,000 visas to high-skill workers, especially in tech industries. Silicon Valley executives at places such as Google and Facebook promote H-1B visas as a way they can attract some of the best programmers in the world…

  • •

    Don’t Tax Bitcoin Out of Existence

    Many people find cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin appealing because they aren’t attached to any government and are thus immune to inflation associated with fiat money.